They know what they're doing by now, even if they didn't before. All the complaints about their having no direction finally got them to do something about it, so they're trying to focus. I'd guarantee you that they've got an end story in mind now, and probably have the remaining seasons at least 50% mapped out.

They didn't when they started, though, is the problem. They figured they'd just let it run and develop organically, like when authors talk about how "the characters start to tell you their story." Which means that it rambled, and they introduced a ton of stuff to be cryptic that they didn't have any intention of paying off.

The resolution they're going to eventually deliver isn't going to be as earth-shattering as they'd led people to believe, but there is going to be a resolution. And, most likely, still a lot of rambling and misdirection on the way to get there.